With the opening of the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, and the California Trail, vast numbers of pioneers travelled through parts of the state that had once been traversed mainly by fur trappers, and this spurred the establishment of forts, such as Fort Laramie, that today serve as population centers. Part of the land that is now Wyoming came under American sovereignty via the Louisiana Purchase, part via the Oregon Treaty, and, lastly, via the Mexican Cession. Historic and currently federally recognized tribes include the Arapaho, Crow, Lakota, and Shoshone. Indigenous peoples inhabited the region for thousands of years. Its federal lands include two national parks ( Grand Teton and Yellowstone), two national recreation areas, two national monuments, and several national forests, as well as historic sites, fish hatcheries, and wildlife refuges. The state ranks sixth in the amount of land-and fifth in the proportion of its land-that is owned by the federal government. The federal government owns just under half of Wyoming’s land, generally protecting it for public uses. Wyoming’s climate is semi-arid in some parts and continental in others, making it drier and windier overall than other states, with greater temperature extremes. Wyoming's western half consists mostly of the ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains its eastern half consists of high-elevation prairie, and is referred to as the High Plains. The state capital and most populous city is Cheyenne, which had an estimated population of 63,957 in 2018. With a population of 576,851 in 2020, Wyoming is the least populous state despite being the 10th largest by area, with the second-lowest population density after Alaska. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the south. Wyoming ( / w aɪ ˈ oʊ m ɪ ŋ/ ⓘ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Horned lizard ( Phrynosoma douglassi brevirostre)
Wyoming Indian paintbrush ( Castilleja linariifolia)